RIDE: Solo Sunday explore
We've probably all had to make sacrifices and compromises over the last few months due to the COVID19 pandemic. Some have been easier than others - NOT driving to work has been high on my list of favourite things - but other things have left a somewhat bitter taste, despite you knowing that it was for the best.
Take this weekend just gone; I was supposed to be in the Lake District with mates, tackling the infamous Fred Whitton Challenge for a third time. However, it wasn't to be. It's not the first thing to have been cancelled as a result of the virus, and it certainly won't be the last.
With cycling being my one escape from 'house arrest' (I'm working from home, looking after kids), even with a forecast that had my riding partner Danny phoning in his excuses early, I had to at least put some miles in as an alternative to the Fred, even though I knew getting equivalent elevation gain would be impossible.
I've talked previously about height gain being a good incentive to rack up some miles, but with zero plan of where I was headed, I decided that this ride would be about a taste for exploration, seeing some pretty villages and maybe finding some new roads.
These last few weeks have been a real pleasure to cycle with so few cars on the roads, but since lockdown was eased slightly I've become more aware of a more 'urgent' driving style as people take to their cars once more. Thankfully, this weekend seemed to see a curbing of cars where I was - or at the least, that's what it felt like - as most roads just saw farmer's Land Rovers and the odd tradie in a Transit. Methinks the break in the recent heatwave has gotten people thinking about jobs in the house instead of aimlessly galavanting around.
I'd toyed with heading out towards Pitsford Water, always a good area for some elevation gain, but the fact I've covered the ground to get there so many times recently, I thought I'd at least try to go somewhere I'd not been for a while. I don't know about you reader, but I find it hard to discover new routes sometimes. Rugby is kind of hemmed in; to the west is Coventry and to the north is Leicester. Granted there's still undiscovered countryside between home and those cities, but the closer you get to them, the busier things seem to be and I'm loathe to go near main arteries and definitely don't like urban riding unless I have to. That's why I spend so much time heading east in Northants and South Leicestershire where it's quiet and more sedate. But it means the same roads are covered to get there (my Strava heatmap proves that) so if I can at least find some form of 'new' when I'm out there then I'm happy.
Around Market Harborough and along the A14 corridor there are some lovely places and although I'm definitely not the only cyclist to realise that, it does at times feel like a bit of an undiscovered area because it's got that real provincial feel to it. Farming is the economic lifeblood of the area it seems and you can look around the landscape and very rarely see anything that hints to modern times, aside from the odd wind turbine on the horizon.
Take this weekend just gone; I was supposed to be in the Lake District with mates, tackling the infamous Fred Whitton Challenge for a third time. However, it wasn't to be. It's not the first thing to have been cancelled as a result of the virus, and it certainly won't be the last.
With cycling being my one escape from 'house arrest' (I'm working from home, looking after kids), even with a forecast that had my riding partner Danny phoning in his excuses early, I had to at least put some miles in as an alternative to the Fred, even though I knew getting equivalent elevation gain would be impossible.
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| Obligatory 'bike against big sky' shot. I do find myself looking around before taking these, it feels slightly silly. |
I've talked previously about height gain being a good incentive to rack up some miles, but with zero plan of where I was headed, I decided that this ride would be about a taste for exploration, seeing some pretty villages and maybe finding some new roads.
These last few weeks have been a real pleasure to cycle with so few cars on the roads, but since lockdown was eased slightly I've become more aware of a more 'urgent' driving style as people take to their cars once more. Thankfully, this weekend seemed to see a curbing of cars where I was - or at the least, that's what it felt like - as most roads just saw farmer's Land Rovers and the odd tradie in a Transit. Methinks the break in the recent heatwave has gotten people thinking about jobs in the house instead of aimlessly galavanting around.
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| Saddington Hill - curvy, constant and picturesque. |
I'd toyed with heading out towards Pitsford Water, always a good area for some elevation gain, but the fact I've covered the ground to get there so many times recently, I thought I'd at least try to go somewhere I'd not been for a while. I don't know about you reader, but I find it hard to discover new routes sometimes. Rugby is kind of hemmed in; to the west is Coventry and to the north is Leicester. Granted there's still undiscovered countryside between home and those cities, but the closer you get to them, the busier things seem to be and I'm loathe to go near main arteries and definitely don't like urban riding unless I have to. That's why I spend so much time heading east in Northants and South Leicestershire where it's quiet and more sedate. But it means the same roads are covered to get there (my Strava heatmap proves that) so if I can at least find some form of 'new' when I'm out there then I'm happy.
Around Market Harborough and along the A14 corridor there are some lovely places and although I'm definitely not the only cyclist to realise that, it does at times feel like a bit of an undiscovered area because it's got that real provincial feel to it. Farming is the economic lifeblood of the area it seems and you can look around the landscape and very rarely see anything that hints to modern times, aside from the odd wind turbine on the horizon.
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| Leicestershire and Northamts has some great rolling terrain - perfect for losing yourself for a few hours. |
The ride was enjoyable with a few places revisited and a new hill discovered.. after a bit of geeing myself up I managed just outside the top 20 on the Mowsley Hill segment; that's one for a future KOM attempt for sure! For anyone in the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire borders, the area around Saddington and Gumley is really nice to just lose yourself for a few hours, constantly gaining elevation all the while. I'll have to plan a proper route in future that takes in every one of the short, steep ramps you find in this area. Plus, I'm sure there is some good cake and coffee to be had... or so I'm hoping!
Alas, a pleasing day in the saddle came to a damp and dreary end, with the heavens emptying just a few miles from home but certainly not enough to ruin the ride; if anything it spurred me on to get home quickly and probably helped me get a very surprising average of 17.4mph over the 64-mile route. That's quick for me, and my stiff thighs waking up the next day are testament to that! How people manage to do 17-18mph+ over extreme distances and with loads of climbing, I'm not sure if they have feeling in their muscles!
The only downside to the day was hearing that two of my riding pals from our completely unofficial club - we've named it the CV Cycloteers, "one for all, no cake left uneaten" and all that - were knocked down by a van just a few miles from home. Written-off bikes and some broken bones are hopefully the worst of it.
I fear despite the nationwide embracing of cycling during the last few months, things like this emphasis that the symbiosis of cycling alongside Britain's millions of motorists is a fragile co-existence that in most cases, sees the cyclist come off the worse when the relationship breaks down.
Alas, a pleasing day in the saddle came to a damp and dreary end, with the heavens emptying just a few miles from home but certainly not enough to ruin the ride; if anything it spurred me on to get home quickly and probably helped me get a very surprising average of 17.4mph over the 64-mile route. That's quick for me, and my stiff thighs waking up the next day are testament to that! How people manage to do 17-18mph+ over extreme distances and with loads of climbing, I'm not sure if they have feeling in their muscles!
The only downside to the day was hearing that two of my riding pals from our completely unofficial club - we've named it the CV Cycloteers, "one for all, no cake left uneaten" and all that - were knocked down by a van just a few miles from home. Written-off bikes and some broken bones are hopefully the worst of it.
I fear despite the nationwide embracing of cycling during the last few months, things like this emphasis that the symbiosis of cycling alongside Britain's millions of motorists is a fragile co-existence that in most cases, sees the cyclist come off the worse when the relationship breaks down.
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